Friday, May 02, 2008

Compensating For Inflation



Many colleagues felt betrayed when additional cuts were announced at the Tribune Company, under the helm of Sam Zell, after he told Tribune Employees downsizing the current staff across the country was not conducive with positive employee moral.

Faced with advertisers that are fleeing in droves from newspapers to alternative forms of advertising, circulation drops at almost every Tribune newspaper, and an economy that is falling like a rock before it reaches it destination, what options did Sam have?

Take a look at your household, have you made any changes in the past six months to reduce spending, or have you continued the spending spree like there’s no tomorrow? Most consumers I speak with have made minor changes to their lifestyles to compensate for job insecurity, higher gasoline prices and food costs.

One of the changes I hear often lately is carpooling, and as you know we dislike carpooling in Los Angeles, just try getting from point A to point B on one of our many freeways and note how many commuters do not ride together as you sit on the freeway at 5 miles per hour.

The second largest expense many colleagues are reducing happens to be dining out, some have mentioned their weekly ritual of going out to their favorite restaurant has been curtailed to every other week, to help pay for gasoline and food costs that are skyrocketing daily.

Here’s something many may not believe or even attempt; My colleague, that will remain anonymous, brought his wife to their local Mexican Cantina last night during happy hour. The deal is, you buy one drink at the regular price get a second drink for free, and with all the appetizers you can eat. The appetizers consisted of hot wings, gorditas, rice and beans, and assorted condiments, which was actually their dinner last night. To top this off, my friend also brought enough appetizers home last night to have lunch at work this morning, which I do not recommend you try yourself.

This was one way to combat inflation, and I would enjoy hearing your stories, but would never walk out with a load of appetizers myself.

1 comment:

Kanani said...

Ed,
In the long run, it's cheaper for your friend to go out and cook or buy some healthier food. That way he'll avoid having to go to the doctor, which is a major moneysaver!

I use email a lot more now than use minutes on my phone. I'm also looking into buying a more fuel efficient car, and have started to take the metrolink more.

Also --I cook most of my meals at home.